"Nuutania" is the name of the main prison in Tahiti.

Areas of Polynesia being french territory means that french law rules in this particular jail located 15000 miles from Paris....!
300 Inmates are imprisoned there with difficult living conditions.
One third of them serve long penalties of up to 20 years.

"Nuutania", the CD is the result of a unique and exceptional experience Isabelle Hugues from the city of Papetee and Philippe Pottier director of the integration and probation service in french Polynesia wished to find a new way to fight illiteracy among the Nuutania Inmates . After meeting Philo Fournier a well known musician/singer/songwriter, they decided to produce a CD entirely made entirely by the inmates.

They worked on the songwriting & the artwork, as well on building traditional tahitian instruments. The aim of this record was to use the roots of the inmates' tahitian culture, it's instruments, it's traditions, and to give an idea of the sound universe of the prison. Fifty inmates, men & women took part in the making of this CD during 6 months under the guidance of Philo Fournier.

None of them were professional musicians. They were all chosen because they were illiterate In the beginning. Some of them were not convinced about the success of such a project but the result shows that if an ambitious enterprise is based on trusting the resources and the ability of the inmates to create such an individual project you get a far better result than what you get through using traditional rehabilitation methods.

"Nuutania " is without doubt one of the most beautiful "soul" records made for a long time. The authenticity of the emotions these men and women share with the listener, when they sing about their pain and their sorrow is amazing. The a cappella chants which the Nuutania inmates sing everyday when the lights are being turned off have the same spiritual strength as a New Orleans Gospel choir.

The artistic value of this record is enormous ; it brings back traditions which have nearly disappeared from the local tourist-oriented record industry . It shows the real soul of Polynesia which for too long has been hidden by the need for tourist business

The Nuutania inmates have achieved a labour of love.. authenticity, simplicity & emotion. They might not be professionals but they have reached a rare level of artistic & emotional intensity with this record. They have contributed to resurrect the beauty of a magnificent musical culture. The record they made is a pure jewel, and a rare occasion to discover the magic of real traditional tahitian music . The Nuutania Artists / Prisoners can be proud of their work. From their cells, they bring light to the outside world.

All the royalties from this record will be used for continuing the fight against illiteracy , which in many cases, has been one of the main reasons for the presence of these people in a place which should not exist in these extraordinary islands.